Feeding Your Fans

One of the most important parts of any wedding, whether on the beach or in our fantastic old world European styled reception hall here at Celebration Hall, the premier events venue on the Florida Panhandle specializing in full service beach weddings, is the food.

It has to be fun, innovative, easy to eat and if you choose to take advantage of all of our fresh local seafood, should reflect your coastal location.

From the apps all the way to the dessert, here are some crowd pleasers for your beach wedding from those who know, at Celebration Hall in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

 

Appetizers

The key to killer appetizers: Keep them simple. Instead of serving an exhausting menu of one-bite options, choose a few sophisticated seaside numbers.

Classic: Serve lobster bisque in a champagne glass garnished with sherried cream and roasted tomatoes. The combination of this beautifully colored seafood starter with its highly seasoned, creamy taste will go nicely with a glass of wine before the big meal.

Tropical: Give a traditional Mexican starter, the quesadilla, a twist of the tropics. Shrimp and crab baked inside a crispy tortilla with melted goat cheese and creamy avocado paste will be an infusion of bold flavors and add fun to finger foods.

Exotic: Freshly made sushi with wasabi and pickled ginger are sure crowd-pleasers. Roll up any variety of vegetables (like cucumbers and bell peppers) in nori (sushi wraps) for your vegetarian guests. The taste of sweet seaweed and rice together with spicy wasabi and tangy pickled ginger puts a fresh spin on this enjoyable Japanese delicacy. Get points for presentation with a sushi station where chefs hand-roll each piece for your guests.

 

Salad

The salad is the perfect course to bring in some of your favorite tropical fruits and found-in-the-sea ingredients.

Classic: A fresh green salad topped with crispy calamari makes a superior summer salad. Add sweet grapes, yellow pear tomatoes, and fresh vinaigrette for even more taste. For a healthier version, have your caterer grill the calamari.

Tropical: Your caterer can replace a traditional green salad with a vibrant fruit salad. Get creative and colorful with a mix of fresh mangoes, pineapples, papayas, oranges, and kiwis. Serve in a leaf of lettuce for the perfect presentation.

Exotic: A staple in sushi restaurants throughout the world, an exotic seaweed salad will add the right amount of spice to your meal. It’s made with wakame (a green-hued stringy seaweed), sesame oil, crunchy sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes for a little kick.

Serving suggestion: Place each salad on a bed of brown rice.

 

Main Course

A main focal point, a lot of eyes are on your main event, so to really pack a beachy punch in your meal, order up a main dish that speaks volumes of your locale.

Classic: Have a lobster bake. Your caterer can wrap lobster, mussels, clams, red potatoes, onions, and corn on the cob in cheesecloth and bake it in a pit filled with hot coals and seaweed. Don’t have the space for a lobster bake? Have your caterer re-create a smaller version for you in the kitchen.

Tropical: A mainstay at tropical feasts around the world, kabobs are great for a simple backyard barbecue, or they can add flavor to an elegant beach wedding feast. Serve up Jamaican jerk chicken cooked on the grill alongside a cool mojito-style dip. Or have pineapple and veggie kabobs with a sweet fruit glaze plated and served with a side of rice to really incorporate the tropics.

Exotic: For a buffet-style reception, set up stations around the room where guests can try different seaside flavors. Offer a build-your-own lettuce wrap station complete with Bibb lettuce wraps, sauteed shrimp, seared scallops, shredded carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms, chives, and cucumbers. With a variety of dipping sauces available, your guests will love this do-it-yourself option. Or have a made-to-order station with an on-site chef.

 

Dessert

When it comes to dessert, beach colors are key.

Classic: Plated or buffet-style, a blueberry torte is the perfect nod to summer and the sea. Serve it up alongside small dishes of icy lemon sorbet.

Tropical: If you’re eating island style, then a fruity pineapple pound cake is the perfect sweet ending. Garnish the pound cake with roasted Hawaiian pineapple and drizzle it with sweet Haupia sauce, a traditional Hawaiian coconut milk sauce.

Exotic: Go all out with dessert and order up a passion fruit chiffon cake topped with fresh strawberry Bavarian cream and garnished with white chocolate shavings.

For more ideas on how to make sure your wedding dazzles come see the professionals at The Celebration Hall located on a fantastic stretch of Scenic 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

MG_7215Come see how we help create the beautiful moments that brides and grooms will always treasure. Everyone will be amazed when they see this fantastic venue. Bringing together a combination of luxurious, romantic and historical, our giant oak doors lead into a grand hall inspired by European manners with vaulted beamed ceilings and massive wrought island chandeliers.

We can seat up to 150 people inside, more with the addition of our lighted lawns and patio areas. We also have a state of the art sound system and free parking for your guests.

Our professional staff at Celebration Hall can coordinate all your wedding and event needs, from decor, lightning, arranging a cake, catering and so more.

30ASuitesLivingArea
Photo: Courtesy of 30A Suites

To make things even less stressful for you, we are even steps away from 30A Suites, a unique boutique hotel with charm and personality that’s situated amidst the gorgeous beaches of Santa Rosa Beach. This would be a perfect spot to start the honeymoon or to safely lodge guests, allowing them to focus on celebrating your big day.

If you have any questions or would like to know how we could further help you, please contact us. Email is the fastest way and you can contact us at thecelebrationhall@gmail.com. If you’d like to call as well you can reach us at 850-499-2652